285-year-old lemon fetches more at auction than antique chest

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2024/02/07

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: 285-year-old lemon fetches more at auction than antique chest

Vocabulary Match

fetches -   - chunk
auction -   - came out slowly
chest -   - stone remains
fossil -   - sale
lump -   - sells for
leaked -   - large box

Article

A very old lemon, 285 years old to be exact, was sold for £1,400 in an auction this month. The lemon was found in a drawer of a 19th-century chest. The chest was sold for only £32, much less than the lemon. The lemon had a note on it, "given from Mr Franchini to Miss Baxter in 1739."

There are also other old foods that have been found. A 52-million-year-old fruit fossil was found in South America. It is from the same family as potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. A big lump of butter, 2,000 years old, was found in Ireland. It weighs as much as 10 large bags of sugar and has a strong cheese smell.

In Sweden, a 340-year-old cheese was found in a shipwreck. It was discovered when the cheese leaked and caused a strong smell. An American couple, Ann and Ken Fredericks, have been eating their 60-year-old wedding cake every year to celebrate their wedding day. They say it still tastes good.

Quiz

  1. How old is the lemon that was sold in the auction?
  2. How much was the chest sold for?
  3. Where was a 52-million-year-old fruit fossil discovered?
  4. What do Ann and Ken Fredericks eat every year to celebrate their wedding day?

Conversation

A: Did you hear about the lemon that sold for £1,400?
B: No way, a lemon? Why so expensive?
A: It was 285 years old.
B: Wow, it must be past its use-by date!
A: Haha, yeah, it should be free!
B: Well, I wouldn't eat it, even for free.

Discussion

  1. Have you ever eaten something that was past its use-by date?
  2. What's the oldest thing you own? Would you ever sell it in an auction?
  3. Why do you think old items like these can be valuable?
  4. Can you think of a food or drink that tastes better as it gets older?

Vocabulary Answers

fetches → sells for
auction → sale
chest → large box
fossil → stone remains
lump → chunk
leaked → came out slowly

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. The lemon sold in the auction is 285 years old.
  2. The chest where the lemon was found was sold for £32.
  3. A 52-million-year-old fruit fossil was discovered in South America.
  4. Ann and Ken Fredericks eat their 60-year-old wedding cake every year to celebrate their wedding day.

Source Material

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38532772

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